1. Technical Field
The present invention is related to meat product cutting devices and, more particularly, to a top slice removal device which includes a frame, a lower conveyor belt mounted on the frame, an upper conveyor belt extending generally parallel with and spaced from the lower conveyor belt, a slicing device such as a bandsaw interposed between the upper and lower conveyor belts, a top slice separator plate adjustably mounted between the upper and lower conveyor belts, a top slice removal conveyor belt positioned rearwards of the separator plate for transporting the top slice for further processing and a rear conveyor belt for transferring the remainder of the meat product for further processing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The meat packing industry has numerous types of slicing and cutting devices each designed to perform a specific function such as cutting a particular type of meat product or removing and separating one type of meat product from another during processing of the carcass. In the majority of these devices, however, the resulting waste product from the cut being performed must be manually removed from the machine by a worker and placed on a different conveyor system to be moved to further processing. Despite the fact that this type of labor is generally unskilled, it still must be performed to ensure proper functioning of the packing plant and thus the meat packing plant must provide a worker to perform this waste material removal process. When one adds up the total number of workers needed to remove waste meat products from these slicing and cutting devices, it is seen that a large percentage of the workers on the cutting room floor are involved in dealing with waste products which do not produce any substantial income for the meat packing plant. There is therefore a need for automated devices which remove waste products from the meat slicing and cutting devices and transfer them automatically to processing stations for those waste products.
A review of the prior art presently available makes it clear that little thought has been given to what needs to be done with the waste products from the cutting process, including such inventions as shown in Perreault, U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,349, and Petersen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,896. These devices are not designed to remove the waste products from the cutting process and transfer them to a separate processing location and even those devices in the prior art specifically designed for removal of specific waste product pieces are generally not designed for removal of the waste product piece to a different processing location. For example, one of the most common pieces of machinery in meat processing plants is the bandsaw slicer which is used to section cuts of meat into various pieces. One of the common uses of the bandsaw slicer is to remove what is referred to as the “top slice” which is generally found on a pork butt or beef butt and which is sliced off of the butt piece and discarded thus leaving the usable remainder of the butt piece. The dangers inherent in this procedure are readily apparent and include the machine operator possibly cutting him or herself on the bandsaw, the operator being caught up in the conveyor belt system trying to remove the top slice from the butt section or many other possible dangers encountered when the extremities of the operator must be inserted into the slicing and transporting machinery. There is therefore a need for an automated separation and removal system which will separate the top slice from the butt portion and transfer the top slice to a different processing area for continued processing of the top slice.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a top slice removal device which will automatically remove the separated top slice from a meat product.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic top slice removal device which includes a frame, upper and lower conveyor belts cooperating to secure and move the meat product forward therebetween, a cutting blade interposed between the upper and lower conveyor belts for slicing the top slice off of the meat product and a separator plate for separating the top slice from the remaining meat product to permit the top slice to be removed and passed on to further processing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a top slice removal device which further includes the separator plate extending rearwards of the end of the lower conveyor belt to retain the top slice thereon while the remainder of the meat product falls onto a rear conveyor belt to be transferred for further processing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved top slice removal device which includes an top slice removal conveyor belt positioned rearwardly and below the upper conveyor belt for engaging and transferring the top slice from the location adjacent the remainder of the meat product to a new location for further processing of the top slice without requiring manual removal of the top slice.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a top slice removal device which is relatively simple in design and operation and is safe and efficient in use.